


He's Right There!

by KatieComma



Series: Looking For The One [3]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Friendship, Idiots in Love, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 18:53:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15371112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieComma/pseuds/KatieComma
Summary: Jack takes Mac's advice and asks Riley to help finish his online dating profile.Mac gets in the way.





	He's Right There!

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Comfortable In This Skin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15231018) by [Nevcolleil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevcolleil/pseuds/Nevcolleil). 



> By popular request here it is: Part 3!
> 
> Thanks goes out to:  
> teamchasez for the spark that burnt this house down!   
> And Nevcolleil for beta reading AND batting around some ideas!  
> So appreciated!!! Both of you!!!
> 
> Thanks also to everyone who keeps requesting MORE MORE MORE - you guys are all amazing!
> 
> I've listed Nevcolleil's work as the inspiration for this because I stole her idea for Mac's gift to Jack from her story... but beware it is dangerously sexy and explicit as all get out. So grab a fan before you go over and read it.

I need a favour. That’s what Jack’s text had said.

What favour? Riley had written back.

Jack had sent several enthusiastic emojis in reply.

Riley gave in. When emojis got involved there was no turning back.

 

“What’s up Jack?” Riley asked when Jack opened the door to let her in. She pushed her way past him into his apartment. “What’s this favour? I’m not gonna help you steal a body or anything.”

“Nothin’ like that Ri,” Jack said, obviously distracted. “I’ve been workin’ on this dating profile, and I’m hopin’ you can help me with it.”

“A dating profile?” Riley reiterated. “As in, an online dating profile?” She tried not to smile too wide. 

Jack deserved to be happy. She wanted him to be happy, but she was surprised he was resorting to online dating. It didn’t really seem like his thing. Beyond playing Candy Crush and making phone calls she couldn’t really remember him using his phone for anything else.

But of course she’d help him. After that last mission with Sarah, Jack was hurting, and the fact that he was even willing to look for someone else gave Riley hope that he’d be just fine.

Jack closed the door behind her and sat down at the kitchen counter, picking up his tablet. “Yeah, I started it already, but I’m beginnin’ to think it needs a feminine touch.”

Riley joined him at the counter. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got so far,” she said, grabbing the device from him and scrolling through the profile he’d started filling in.

“First of all,” Riley started, “you are not using this website.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Jack asked.

“Let’s just say this is the site you use for one night stands,” Riley offered as delicately as she could. The last thing she wanted to think about was Jack hooking up. “Unless that’s what you’re looking for, and then I am not the girl to help you with this.”

“Uh, no,” Jack said solemnly. To his credit he didn’t make any macho or lewd comments.

“Alright,” Riley pulled her rig out of her bag and set it out on the counter. She pulled up a new website; A very respectable site for singles looking for long term relationships. “Let’s get started.”

She explained the premise of the site to Jack first: They’d write a brief profile for him, and a description of the kind of person he was looking for. When people replied to his ad he would start chatting with them and go from there. Nothing too complicated.

“So, let’s go,” she prompted. “Time to write your bio.” Riley started tapping away at her keyboard at around 110 WPM.

“Start with-” Jack began.

Riley laughed, still typing. “I don’t think so big guy,” she said. “This one’s all me. Don’t worry, I’ll make you look cool.”

“Cool, Riley?” Jack asked. “I don’t just wanna look cool. This is a big deal.”

“I got this,” she dismissed his concerns. 

Phrases and words came easily to her fingertips: “honest, hardworking, proud Texan, sports fan, devoted friend, army vet…”

Riley paused, reread her little Jack promo, revised a few lines, and slid her rig toward Jack so he could read it over.

Someone knocked at the door.

“Alright, it’ll do,” Jack admitted, though she could hear in his tone that he was touched by her assessment of him.

“Hold that thought,” Riley said, jumping up to get the door. “And don’t touch anything!”

Riley opened the door to find Mac standing there.

“Riley?” He asked, surprised. “Is… Jack around?”

Riley cocked her head to invite him in and stood aside to let him pass.

Mac had been acting weird the last week or so, and Riley was worried about him. That was new for her. She’d spent most of her life being worried about her mom and herself, in that order, end of list. But now she had this little team that was starting to feel more like family every day. 

Mac’s odd behaviour started just after their last op with Nikki; Who wasn’t a traitor after all. For about two minutes Riley had thought that Nikki’s return meant a demotion, or even a firing. But after two minutes of nerve wracking suspense, Nikki had decided to take off again. There didn’t seem to be much of a good reason for it, other than to break Mac’s heart for a second, or was it a third time? Riley couldn’t keep track anymore.

Since then, Mac had been more of a mess every day. The signs were subtle: wrinkled shirts, a few more beers than normal, clinging to Jack for stability. So Riley was getting worried. Mac kept everything shoved down so deep inside, what happened when all of that exploded outward? Riley got it, she did the same thing, but you had to let out the steam sometimes, or the pressure would just build and build.

She heard computer keys clicking, turned like a shot and returned to Jack at the counter. He was typing something. On her rig. 

“Hey! Hey! Hey! What did I just say to you?” She asked, turning the computer back toward her. “No touching!”

“Hey Jack?” Mac called as he closed the door. “What happened to proper etiquette? You’re supposed to answer the door at your own house right?”

Riley missed Jack’s sarcastic reply while she was trying to fix what he’d messed up. “Jack,” she interrupted his, no doubt hilarious, banter with Mac, “why would you add ‘adept with firearms?’” She paused and looked at him, like she was actually waiting for an answer. She did that a lot. Looked at him like she wanted him to reply to her rhetorical questions. Mostly because he always replied, and it was always amusing.

“That’s a very important skill Riley!” Jack protested. “You take off all my combat skills and there ain’t much left to put on display.”

Riley heard Mac chuckle across the room where he’d plopped down on the couch and turned the TV on low.

“Still working on that dating profile man?” Mac asked.

Riley pointed at Jack. “You, focus.” Then she pointed at Mac. “And you, keep it down for two minutes while we finish this.”

Mac put up his hands as though in surrender and turned back toward the TV.

“I am definitely taking off all the stuff you just typed in here,” Riley said, quickly deleting and restructuring the paragraph.

“Riley,” Jack was using his dad voice. “A good flying snap kick is a definite plus for the ladies.”

“No, it is not,” she said, annoyed already. Why had she agreed to do this? Right, cause she loved Jack. “Listen Jack. You wanted the feminine touch on this thing. That’s what I’m doing. Snap kicks are off the table. Just trust me, ok?”

“Alright, alright,” Jack moaned, sitting back in his chair. He pointed over at Mac. “And that’s enough outta you!”

Mac continued to let out that breathy laugh of his in the background. She was glad he was laughing. He’d been doing a lot less of that lately too. That damn Nikki. And it wasn’t just her, he always seemed to have bad luck with girls. A lot of it was the same thing that probably caused Jack’s bad luck with women. 

She’d never thought about it before; Romantic relationships weren’t really high priority since her start at The Phoenix, but not being able to share your life, your work, with the one person you should be able to share everything with? Had to be tough. Mac and Jack had both tried relationships with fellow agents, and it hadn’t worked out. And they’d both tried relationships with civilians that also failed.

Riley remembered how betrayed she’d felt when she found out Jack had lied to her the entire time she’d known him. She’d never be able to do that to someone else. No wonder dating was so hard for these guys. Once she started to think of it like that, she wasn’t so excited to start playing the field herself.

Riley moved onto the next section. “Ok Jack, what are you looking for in a significant other?” Her fingers paused over the keys and she looked at him.

“Well I don’t know Ri,” Jack stuttered out.

“Just throw some ideas at me,” she said. “We can change it up later.”

“Find me a gal that’s tough, likes Metallica, and could drink me under the table would ya?” Jack requested. “Like that chick in the first Indiana Jones!” He pointed at Mac.

Mac played along, and turned toward them on the couch. “Oh god, what was her name?” Mac said, struggling to recall it, strange for him; Another indicator Mac was not on top of his game.

“You know that scene where she goes shot for shot with all them big guys and out drinks ‘em all?” Jack says.

“Looking for real life women here Jack,” Riley reminded him. “Marion Ravenwood does not count.”

“Marion!” Mac said excitedly. “Why could I not remember that?”

“Because it’s a useless piece of information that nobody needs taking up space in their brain?” Riley suggested.

“Says the girl who had said information,” Jack taunted.

“I’d really like to get out of here sometime today,” Riley said. “So, if you guys are done. Can we get on with this?”

Jack nodded and leaned on the counter next to her.

“Alright so: must like classic rock. What else?”

“You can’t just generically say classic rock like that,” Mac protested.

“You know, he’s not wrong,” Jack said. “I mean, sure, Metallica and Black Sabbath, but I couldn’t be with a woman who liked Pink Floyd.”

“Very important distinction,” Mac said.

“Next?” She requested from Jack, ignoring their dialogue.

“I guess I’d like somebody who’s kind, you know?” Jack said quietly. Riley saw him shoot Mac a look out of the corner of his eye. Probably worried Mac was going to make fun of him for listing something sensitive.

That wasn't something Mac would do. Mac was never the macho man to tease his buddies for not whistling at the girl on the street. Mac had more kindness in him than that. He’d showed it to her on more than one occasion, starting with getting her out of prison. Sure, it had been a gamble to help them with their mission at first, but he’d helped keep her out of prison and put her to work.

“Alright, kind,” Riley reiterated, “you said tough before? Why don’t we say passionate.”

“Passionate makes it sound like we’re getting into the…” Jack trailed off, trying to put the right words together. “The behind closed doors side of things, doesn’t it?”

“You can be passionate about all sorts of things,” Mac piped up from the couch. “Your work, your hobbies. It doesn’t always have to be about sex Jack.”

“Just so we don’t have to have this discussion, let’s say tenacious and move on,” Riley suggested.

“What about somebody who’s into cars and stuff,” Jack was starting to get excited. “Like, classic cars and maybe fixin’ ‘em up?”

Riley typed out: interest in driving and restoring classic cars. It made her think of that bike Mac was working on. He’d told her just the week before that he needed to have it ready in time for Jack’s birthday. The day he’d pulled it out of his grandpa’s garage to start working on it, Jack had been so excited that Mac had decided right from the beginning to fix it up for Jack and give it to him. Riley was glad Mac had let her know in advance so she’d be able to have a box of tissues ready for Jack on the big day.

She shot a look at Mac over her shoulder. He was still turned toward them on the couch, watching Jack intently, but the look on his face was strange: Something like regret, or fear, or both mixed together. Mac saw her looking and turned back toward the TV like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“And you know,” Jack continued, oblivious to the exchange, “I wouldn’t mind findin’ someone who’s been in the service. My buddy Steve had a girl like that, both military, and they were real good together. I mean, I don’t want to say I’d count out anybody that hasn’t, but it just makes things-”

“Hold up,” Riley took her hands off the keyboard and stepped away from the counter so she could see Mac and Jack at the same time. That guilty look of Mac’s; Jack talking about kindness and sneaking glances at Mac. Why hadn’t she seen it before? “Am I being pranked right now?” She was halfway to smiling, unsure if it was a joke or not yet. 

Jack looked confused.

Mac turned on the couch to look at her, and wore a similar look of confusion, but way more defensive.

“What are you talkin’ about Ri?” Jack asked.

“Your profile?” She waved at the computer, and then held both hands toward Mac like she was presenting a game show prize.

“Still confused,” Jack looked from the computer to Mac and back.

“Are you being serious right now?” She asked, and had to check herself before she laughed in his face. It was absurd. How could she not have realized before? How did they not realize?

Mac wouldn’t quite look her in the eye. Maybe it was only Mac and she was making a terrible mistake? 

No, she wasn’t. She knew Jack. Knew him better than most anybody else, and she’d seen the looks he gave Mac in the field, or anywhere for that matter. They reminded her most of the way he used to look at her mom. But it hadn’t been her business, hadn’t ever come up between them. Except now, here they were, and Mac was sitting on the couch like a nervous teenager.

“I’m always serious Riley,” Jack said.

Riley raised an eyebrow at him.

“Ok, serious like 80% of the time,” Jack joked.

“I would say more like 65%,” Mac threw in, attempting a laugh but failing.

“Ok, well, it seems to me like you guys have a lot to talk about, so I’m gonna go,” Riley said, closing her rig and stuffing it into her bag.

“Lot to talk about, what are you on about-” Jack started.

Riley put her hands on Jack’s shoulders and looked straight into his eyes. “Jack, we just spent a half hour writing you up a perfect companion, who has been sitting ten feet away the entire time,” she pointed toward the couch, and took a step back.

Jack ducked his head as though he was ashamed, and Mac was staring at the TV, his hands fisted tightly together.

“I don’t think… that’s not…” Jack couldn’t find anything to say; A first that Riley could ever remember.

“Listen guys,” she said. “You get together to watch movies and sports at least twice a week; Have the same infuriatingly specific taste in classic rock; Already argue like a married couple; Served in the army together; And to top it all off you guys sing each other’s favourite songs at karaoke.” Riley went to the door. “So, just do me a favour and talk about it?”

Without waiting for any more argument, that she knew would come, Riley opened the door and closed it behind her.

In the hallway, she leaned against the door and waited. She had her surveillance equipment in her bag, the small distance mic that would pick up their voices through the wall, but it was a private conversation; She just wanted to make sure they were having it.

After a few minutes of silence, she heard Jack’s deep gravelly voice travel through the wall, and Mac’s surprised response only moments later.

Riley smiled to herself, hefted her bag onto her shoulder and walked out the door. She’d grabbed the keys to Jack’s Shelby Cobra on the way out and planned to go for a Ferris Bueller-style joyride. Somehow she didn’t think Jack would mind.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm pretty sure you're all mad at me again right now... because once again I am the WORST tease of all time... sorry/not sorry.


End file.
